Did you enjoy reading this post? Share it using the buttons below

I have worked for remote clients for over 5 years. To get connected and stay connected, I have to be ready to work at a moment’s notice, and much of this work involves communications and productivity.

Google Drive: There is no single charity or NGO that does not use a version of this App at some point in their timeline. Throughout my internships and work opportunities from public finance, affordable housing, public health and women and girls organizations most rely on this functionality to support their other operationa. I am constantly connected to one Drive or another. It helps that many nonprofit organizations have been fortunate to secure Google for Nonprofits

Upwork is a site which allows freelancers to bid for and be sought after for work (both short and long term) and this has helped me meet some of my most recent communications clients. It helps to be bilingual in German and English while living in Germany for most of the opportunities which I have found. Typical for creative freelancers, I have a mix of client and site visits, independent work and also, the relatively safe wall between potential clients held by the site allowing smooth workflow. You can check out my Upwork profile here

Screen Time on iOS is one of the most helpful time savers. It helps one remain mindful about the amount of time spent on apps. For me, working with clients on social pages can easily leak valuable time into my own personal rabbit-hole of social, news and catching up on email. Planning specific slots of each of these is a life saver. I like this feature because it helps one become more mindful of how much time we spend on specific apps, and how much screen time overall. I love competing with my own timing to try and cut the screen time per week.

Kanban Tool is a visual project management software used to make work more efficient, and to visualise workflow. Kanban ((看板) ) is a Japanese word which means signboard or billboard. The Just In Time (JIT) Japanese efficiency in manufacturing is one of the ways which the country has managed to grow into a world leader. The name refers to cards that track production within a factory. Kanban Tool, and many other Kanban alternatives at a variety of individual and enterprise prices are especially useful for freelancers and project consultants working with multiple clients with limited time. I use it to separate work projects and family projects and realistically see what tasks lie in front of me, and how best to allocate time and effort to each of them.

WhatsApp started out as a fun messaging tool to connect with people across the world. However, for me, as soon as we could send PDFs and video call, this became the app of choice for speaking in real time with colleagues in different countries. WhatsApp Business has changed the game for certain client interactions. I am excited to work more with the integration that comes from the upcoming monetisation model version later in the year.

What are some of your go-to Apps? Is there any you would recommend to me?

I remain curious and working on this Wednesday.

Josephine

PS: You can find me on Twitter @sunnykay and Instagram: Josephine_Karianjahi